The BJP-led NDA is actively preparing to reintroduce the Delimitation Bill and the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
The legislative package was defeated in the April session after the Opposition presented a united front against it. The fresh push comes amid major changes in political situation and hints that Opposition parties such as Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) are considering conditional support for the Narendra Modi government’s delimitation proposal, potentially strengthening the NDA’s prospects of securing the numbers to pass the constitutional amendments.
The proposed legislation seeks to expand the Lok Sabha from 543 to as many as 850 seats through delimitation and implement 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. Since both measures require constitutional amendments, they must secure a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament.
To overcome the shortfall, the NDA has intensified outreach to regional and opposition parties, particularly the DMK and the NCP (Sharad Pawar).
The government is also considering a formula under which every state would receive a uniform 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats, instead of redistribution based solely on population. The proposal, reportedly backed by allies, including Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, aims to address concerns that population-based delimitation would harm the less-populous southern states.
Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) indicated on Wednesday that it could support the Bill if an agreeable formula is adopted. Party MP Supriya Sule said the party would study the legislation before taking a final decision but acknowledged discussions held with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Home Minister Amit Shah. “We will study the bill when it comes and give our verdict. The Women’s Reservation Bill was passed unanimously. Kiren Rijiju called me, Arvind Sawant and Asaduddin Owaisi. Amit Shah was also there. They told us they have also spoken to the SP, Congress and DMK. They have a proposal in mind,” Sule was quoted as saying.
She added that delimitation based solely on population could be unfair to southern states and said Shah and Rijiju had proposed a 50% increase in seats for every state, thus fuelling speculations on the NCP (SP)’s stance. A meeting involving leaders from the late Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar factions of the NCP at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ residence has further fuelled speculation of political realignments.
Despite demands to delink women’s reservation from delimitation, sources said the proposed framework would continue to link implementation of the women’s quota with the delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census instead of waiting for a post-2026 Census.
The NDA will also gain from shifts within the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Trinamool Congress, adding around another 26 MPs to its support base. But even then, the alliance will require backing from parties such as the DMK and the NCP (SP) to cross the constitutional threshold in the Lok Sabha
In the Rajya Sabha, the government is more comfortably placed after recent by-elections and changes in party alignments.